Chapter 278: You’d Better Not Fall in Love with Me

As Rachel Royce was walking back into the villa after seeing Julian Jennings off, she got a call from Miles Sheldon.

She answered, "Hello." Miles Sheldon had been following Tristan Sterling for the past two days.

So Rachel knew that Tristan Sterling had gone to see Alexander Sullivan yesterday. The look on Alexander’s face when he left the clubhouse was awful; clearly, his talk with Tristan hadn’t gone well.

’What kind of emergency could have been so urgent that they had to discuss it on New Year’s Day?’

That night, Tristan had gone to find him and then taken him to the hospital.

"Miss Ainsworth returned to Hawthorne Manor, but she was sent away again today. President Sterling didn’t stay at Hawthorne Manor for long before returning to Silvermist Bay." Listening to Miles Sheldon’s report, Rachel wondered, ’So Alexander and Tristan had a falling out?’

The siblings had been so reluctant to part at the airport that day, and Claire Ainsworth had come back for him. Why would Alexander send her away again so soon?

Rachel was filled with questions.

For the next two days, Tristan Sterling stayed home. He didn’t go anywhere—no parties, no business dinners. He had truly become a "good family man." Meanwhile, Rachel stayed at the Royce family home with Melissa.

Tristan didn’t rush her. He only asked when she was coming home, saying he would come pick her and their daughter up.

On the last night of the holiday.

Tristan drove to Hillcrest Villa himself to pick them up.

Melissa said bye-bye to Florence Preston and Johnson Royce.

Although Johnson Royce was very unhappy with Tristan, he knew his daughter had her own reasons for returning to Silvermist Bay, so he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Florence Preston’s feelings were also complicated. Jane Sullivan and Claire Ainsworth must be having a terrible time now; all their efforts seemed to have been for nothing.

It pained her to think of Rachel still trapped in this marriage, especially with Melissa being so lovely and well-behaved.

As a mother herself, she understood Rachel’s feelings better than anyone.

Rachel said her goodbyes and got into the car.

Tristan settled Melissa into her car seat, fastened her seatbelt, and closed the door. He turned to look at Johnson Royce and Florence Preston, who were still standing there. With a humble demeanor, Tristan said, "We’ll be heading off now. It’s cold out, so please go back inside." To any observer, he was the picture of a perfect son-in-law, completely beyond reproach.

Johnson Royce and Florence Preston remained stone-faced, offering no response.

Tristan strode around the front of the car, got into the driver’s seat, and drove off.

Back at Silvermist Bay.

Rachel took Melissa to the bedroom, washed her up, and helped her into her pajamas.

Tristan walked in and said, "Why don’t you go get washed up? I’ll stay with Melissa."

"Daddy, I want to hear the story about the little hedgehog," Melissa said to her father.

Tristan stepped forward, his eyes full of affection. "Daddy will tell it to you."

Rachel went back to the master bedroom. The moment she pushed open the door, she was greeted by the rich fragrance of roses. A massive bouquet was sitting on the bed, the vibrant red petals looking so fresh they seemed to glisten with dew.

She walked over and pulled a single rose from the bouquet, her gaze fixed on it.

’Rhodes Roses.’ The petals and leaves were perfectly preserved. ’They must have been flown in from France to Kingsland just today.’

Just then, Tristan returned to the bedroom. He walked directly up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Do you like it?" he asked softly.

Rachel twirled the rose in her hand, her face unreadable, giving no clue as to what she was thinking.

After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly. "Tristan Sterling, have you ever loved anyone?"

She used to think Tristan had loved Claire Ainsworth, but now she realized Claire was nothing more than a pet he kept. A pet didn’t need to be smart or clever; it just needed to be beautiful, to depend on him for everything, to obey him. That way, he could control its every emotion.

A man of his stature had no need for a so-called "good match" to enhance his own worth. All that mattered was that his emotional needs were met.

Claire Ainsworth was meaningless to him now. Even abandoning her cost him nothing.

The only person he had ever loved was himself. Now, there was Melissa, but she too was completely under his control. No one could ever put him in a position of emotional vulnerability.

Listening to her question, Tristan’s gaze fell to the rose in her hand. The light reflected in his deep eyes, revealing an obscure, unreadable emotion. A smirk touched his lips as he said in a low voice, "Do you want to try falling in love with me?"

Rachel slowly turned her head.

They were so close, their gazes locked. Their reflections filled each other’s eyes, and their breaths mingled in the space between them. If either of them moved even slightly forward, their lips would touch.

In that instant, it was as if the world went quiet.

Rachel turned in his embrace to face him. Tristan kept his arm around her waist, simply following her lead.

Suddenly, she pushed him hard with both hands.

Tristan landed heavily on the edge of the bed, bracing himself with his hands behind him. His silk pajamas fell open, revealing a glimpse of his strong, solid chest.

The man gazed at the woman before him, his dark eyes profound.

Rachel leaned forward, placing one knee on the edge of the bed and a hand on his shoulder. With her other hand, she touched the rose to his chin, and Tristan tilted his head back in response.

"Tristan Sterling, you’d better really not fall in love with me."

Tristan’s handsome features were exceptionally gentle. He asked, "Why?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

In the quiet room, it felt as though the entire world was bathed in the warm light. The rich scent of roses filled the air. Everything seemed so beautiful and romantic, but the more perfect and gentle things appeared, the more fake they usually were.

Rachel’s hand went slack, and the rose fell onto his chest. She stood up straight. "Get rid of the flowers," she said, before turning and walking into the closet.

「The next day.」

Rachel arrived at the office and went straight into a three-hour morning meeting to summarize the year’s performance and projects. Overall, the trend was one of steady growth.

The Lunar New Year was less than twenty days away.

Rowan would be closing for the holiday a week early.

After a recent period of intense overtime, Rachel had nearly completed all her work for the year. The coming days wouldn’t be as hectic; she just needed to prepare for the start of the new year.

After the morning meeting, senior executives began heading to Julian Jennings’s office to give their reports.

「At three in the afternoon.」

Rachel arrived at Julian Jennings’s office.

After they finished discussing work, Rachel suddenly asked, "Could there be a conflict of interest between Tristan Sterling and Alexander Sullivan?" She was still genuinely puzzled by the events of the last couple of days.

Julian Jennings looked at her. "Why do you ask?"

Rachel didn’t hide anything from him and gave him a brief explanation.

Julian said, "I don’t know if they’re having a conflict over business interests, but I do know that Alexander Sullivan couldn’t have broken free from the Ainsworth Family’s control and started to undermine MK Group without Tristan Sterling’s help."

Hearing this, Rachel was stunned.

Julian continued, "On the surface, it seems Tristan didn’t get involved in MK Group’s internal power struggles, but he was very discreet. Because I’ve been cooperating with the Ainsworths, I discovered that Tidewater Holdings has some of Tristan’s people."

Tidewater Holdings was one of MK Group’s shareholders. Logically, they should have been close allies of the Ainsworth Family. It was a shock to learn that Tristan also had his people there.